Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao

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Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create. Amy Wu is a young Asian child who is exploring her culture and identity alongside her supportive family – in this book, she is trying to make the perfect bao (the book provides a great definition of bao and a pronunciation guide for outsiders!). However, Amy is having trouble with her bao because it just never comes out perfect like everyone else’s in the family does. Eventually, Amy’s grandmother helps her cut the dough in half, which makes it easier for Amy to roll out and stuff with meat, and suddenly Amy makes perfect bao. Notably, she says the ‘imperfect’ ones taste just as good (a good lesson!). Then pinch and bring the folds together and twist them to form a top that resembles the shape of a garlic head. Take the twisted tip and press it down in the center.

Sometimes people will say “mistakes are proof that you are learning.” How can mistakes and wrong answers be helpful? Place the about 5 to 6 bao on each layer of the steamer. Carefully put the steamer in the simmering water and steam the bao for 10 minutes. The bao before I put the lid on to steam them. In the book Amy is tired of feeling like she is too little to get in the kitchen and cook. She longs to create her own bao (delicious Chinese steamed buns) like her parents and grandmother. So determined to do it herself. She carefully puts together a plan to make the perfect bao. However when her plan hits a snag Amy has to get creative.Recently a film by Pixar called “Bao” received the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards. The short featured a Canadian-Chinese mother whose son grew up and moved away, so she was feeling lonely. Enter a perfect, plump bao to give her a second chance at motherhood.

Amy is a vivid little girl who lives with her mom and dad and grandma. They have a loving supportive family that's brought to life through the bright illustrations with little smiles. The pictures just exude happiness. Zhang graduated from Vanderbilt University. [8] Writings [ edit ] Young Adult novels [ edit ] Hybrid Chronicles trilogy [ edit ] After reading this book my daughters had to get in the kitchen to make their own bao buns. My oldest daughter was so serious about it that she specifically asked for a bamboo steamer for her birthday. So we put her new steamer to work and got in the kitchen to make Amy Wu’s bao. Our recipe has a few adaptations to the filling to make them perfect for our family. Amy Wu’s Perfect Bao Recipe- Makes 20 Bao Bao Dough Her two upcoming Middle Grade novels will be released in 2017 and 2018 with Simon & Schuster. The first, The Emperor's Riddle, is about hidden treasure, lost aunts, and China. The second, The Memory of Forgotten Things, is about parallel universes (again), solar eclipses, and misfit children.

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Read this short story from Learning for Justice at https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/fall-2020/min-jees-lunch. There are follow-up questions to help you navigate talking about anti-Asian racism. This piece serves as a great conversation starter about what is happening. Some Things to Think About… The Hybrid Chronicles Trilogy includes What's Left of Me (2012), Once We Were (2013), and Echoes of Us (2014). At the end of the story, Amy offers her bao to her classmates. What do you think her classmates thought of that? Would eat it? Why or why not? What would you say? Amazingly (at least for me, since my stories often undergo big changes from my first idea to the final draft!), AMY WU AND THE PERFECT BAO didn’t change much from the very first draft I wrote. The biggest tweak was probably having Amy herself come up with the solution of cutting the bao dough into smaller pieces so that they fit her hands better. In the first draft, it was Grandma who came up with the idea!

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao” by Kat Zhang and illustrated by Charlene Chua is a beautiful book about a young girl learning to make homemade Bao. Her family members each give her suggestions that work for them, but as much as she tries it just doesn’t work for her. Even though she almost felt defeated, she perseveres and in the end realizes what works for her. In 2017, The Emperor's Riddle won an honorable mention for the NCTA's Freeman Award. [4] It also won a Parent's Choice Award. [3] Amy loves bao. She and her family gather together to make this special meal, but she has never been able to make the perfect bao. Amy’s dad, mom and grandma make perfect bao that is so delicious. Whenever Amy makes bao, it is too big, too small, or not the right amount of filling. This time, Amy is determined to make the perfect bao.The kitchen stove in the story is more or less based on my actual stove. It’s a gas stove, because I’ve cooked with gas all my life. My mum cooked with gas, and my grandmothers did too (one grandmother liked using charcoal as well, but that’s another story). The rice cooker also looks similar to the cooker I grew up with, although the one I use now looks different. We love this sneak peek into this family’s home and meal-time tradition. It reminds us of cooking together with our own families. With the help of little hands sometimes the recipes don’t come out exactly right, but memories are made and (hopefully) the food is just as delicious. We may not be making bao, but the idea is the same. Families eating together and working through frustration is a common experience no matter who you are. I asked the author, Kat Zhang, and the illustrator, Charlene Chua, a few questions. I also had them interview one another. They discussed the story and the delicious ideas behind it. There is a problem, though, when they make bao* together as a family Amy's don't turn out perfect. They're too stuffed or they're ugly. Her parents and grandma encourage her and give advice but Amy has a realization and comes up with her own solution. It works very well. When have you tried something really hard? How did you feel when you failed? What did you do to overcome those feelings?

Then the best part eating and sharing the bao. The pork filling creates a salty sweet balance with the dough. If you want you can dip the bao in soy sauce or make a soy based dipping sauce with some rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and if you want a tiny bit of garlic chili sauce. Zhang's second middle grade novel, The Memory of Forgotten Things, is a return to science fiction. The twelve-year-old protagonist, Sophia Wallace, has memories of her deceased mother that don't make sense, memories that take place after her mother's death. She believes that an upcoming solar eclipse will allow her to cross over into a parallel world where her mother never died. [11] Reception [ edit ]It’s kind of hard for me to pin down my own style (I think many artists have that problem!). I guess my art tends to be quite energetic, usually with pretty strong colors. I think it’s evolved over the years, especially now that I’m working with more non-digital art for some other projects. But at the same time, I think if you looked at the older and newer work, it’s still possible to see the same artist behind it. What a cover! Not only is there a perfect bao, but Amy and her kitty are pretty darn adorable, too.